


Revelations

by Bbun



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-03 20:15:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6624670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bbun/pseuds/Bbun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"His memory will live in these kits."</p>
<p>Once upon a time there were three very different kits who grew up into three very different cats: Shyheart, Applefrost, and Willownose. They grow to resent their father for his crimes. Here are their stories.</p>
<p>Only warning is that there's excessive swearing, but otherwise it's safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Applefrost

My mother always told me that I reminded her of my father. Of course, knowing life, my father was one of the shittiest cats I've ever known. Besides, I was nothing like him; I was dark ginger, he was light brown; I was short and round; he was way lankier than I. As for how we act... well, let's just say my father was an asshole.

"You know, your father was a lying, cheating bastard," I was often told. "He had a fling with a cat from another Clan, but when their kits drowned, he threw her away."

Honestly, I'd rather forget I was related to him altogether.

My name alone would garner so much attention that other cats would forget the rest of me. I was meant to live up to Appledusk's reputation; if I couldn't, I was to be subject of ridicule. Not what I would give a shit, though. Nobody really focused on the second part of my name as much as the first part, though.

One day, I'm out with my friend, Duskwater. She's an okay cat, for all I know. But sometimes, I think she can overreact to things, even if she is understanding.

She asks me, "Applefrost, isn't it kind of a downer to be named so coldly?"

I shake my head. I didn't have a choice when it came to my name; -frost was given to me as if I had no other redeeming traits. If my mother virtually hating me, by giving me my prefix, bad enough....

"Honestly, I wish you were given a better name. Your father was a dick." Hey, at least she's being honest.

"I know. That's why I want to fight him when I go to StarClan. One on one, just us," Most cats went to StarClan - and there was some who did even WORSE than him, but still went! Seemed only fair for me to fight him if he was there, honestly.

"I'm sorry," The blue-grey she-cat was remorseful. "You don't deserve to have to carry the burden of his name."

"Will others finally understand why I'm such an asshole?" I blurted out, not realizing how loud I was.

"I get it. I think you should do something, if you're that upset about it."

Duskwater was right; if I couldn't keep up with this bullshit (which was true,) then I might as well take action.

Adamantly, I stated my choice: "I'm leaving. I'm not going to put up with this any longer." Heh. Darkstar let my father stay for being a 'loyal cat,' even though he broke the code, yet I was to leave on my own accord.

She nodded to me, understandingly. "I hope one day, we can meet again, wherever you end up going."

The die was cast. I was to leave the following day, and nothing would change my mind.


	2. Shyheart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shyheart is just an ordinary RiverClan with the problem of a contradictory name. She's nothing but shy, even if her mother thought otherwise.

You know, sometimes I wonder if my mother was on catnip when she named me. She named me Shykit, yet how would I have gotten -heart if I was constantly speaking out for my beliefs?

Does 'shy' even have a color? Or is it just another mistake she made? I think she has something against me, if she wanted to name me something I'm not.

Sometimes, I feel like, I wish I could change my name. I always hated it. I wasn't shy. I could stand up for myself, and for others. My sibling Applefrost always gets the brunt of the insults about our names.

"Your father was a traitor," one cat said. "He was only kept because of Darkstar's favoritism. Otherwise he would've ended up like the mother of those kits."

"You weren't supposed to exist," said another, this one directed toward Applefrost. "We have to remember what your father did with a name like that!"

I hated seeing this, such hatred from my Clanmates. Besides Duskwater, Applefrost didn't get along with most of the other cats. They were always tense, always reading to fight when prompted to. I wish they could loosen up... at the same time, it's not hard to see where they come from; ever since we were kits, they were always judged for sharing the name of our father. Reedshine didn't think this one through.

My mother was always rather selfish, not giving much attention to what we would think of our names. I feel like I shouldn't hate her, but I do.

Earlier, I saw Applefrost sit in the corner of camp, pissed off. They were watching everyone else with scornful eyes. I felt like I had to do something; I couldn't just leave them there.

"Is it alright if I talked to you?" I asked.

Applefrost silently looked up, not giving an answer.

"You look really pissed." I commented, trying to make the discussion go along smoothly.

"Gee, I wonder why," they muttered. "It's not like I actually like any of these cats."

"But you have me! And Willownose!" 

"So? I'm planning to get out of here, either way." They twitched their ginger tail.

Leaving? The thought never crossed my mind, although in theory it did sound appealing to me. I wouldn't be bound to Clan rules any longer, so I would be free to change my name to something more suitable. Then, cats would finally stop going after me for it! It sounded enticing, but I wasn't fully convinced, at least not yet.

"Darkstar doesn't control us, any of us. We shouldn't be stuck listening to an old she-cat who plays favorites," they went on, "because eventually she'll use her bias against us. We can't risk that."

"It  _would_ be nice to not have to live under pressure, you know. I always wanted to have the name be what I wanted."

"Darkstar doesn't know shit about how to name a cat. It's why Duskwater's named Dusk _water_!"

"Fair point. But what would she do if we left?"

"She can't control a cat with no Clan. I'm not going to stick by her rules anymore. I'm tired of being thought of as a Appledusk Junior. I just want to be my own cat!"

I couldn't argue against that. If we weren't what the Clan wanted, what Darkstar wanted, then we were good for nothing. Applefrost was right! We couldn't just stand idle and let the other cats make fun of us for something we had no say in. We had to take action.

"Is it fine if I left with you?"

"Sure, I don't mind. I think it would be a smart idea if we told Willownose first, though."

Willownose was our sister, and only recently did she had a litter of kits. How would she react if we told her about our departure? 


	3. Willownose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Willownose is just an ordinary cat with an ordinary life. Recently, she had a whole litter of kits! But with their arrival, something else leaves.

Out of all of my littermates, I think I lucked out in the names department. My name actually suited my pelt color! It wasn't to drag down a name's weight onto me, nor was it something that couldn't be put into visuals at all. I still hate my father for what he left my siblings with; a name that wouldn't be so easily rubbed out of history.

At least, I was thankful enough to have an understanding. At least, they were sharing in my hatred of my father as much as I did. In fact, I don't think he's my father at all. I refuse to share the same blood as someone who caused more harm than good. I only share it with my siblings, both of which revile my parents as much as I hate my father. At least Reedshine had enough mercy to spare me in her horrible naming skills, if any at all.

Three sunrises ago I had my kits. I wish for them not to be burdened of who their grandfather is, and instead I plan to never tell them of him. They don't deserve to know the horrors of their relatives, no matter how bad it is. The most energetic one is Shellkit; well, energetic for a three-day old kit. He's very squirmy, but that's not anything special, because all of his littermates are squirmy. He's a big squealer, which does set him from the other three. I'm delighted to have such good kits, however I beg to StarClan for my Clanmates not to make them share the pain of being related to Appledusk. It's best to erase him from Clan memory, never to be spoken of again.

One day, I saw my littermates, Shyheart and Applefrost, group together near the camp's entrance. Normally, we were more active at night, so to see two warriors up in what would be deemed the middle of the night (to us) was strange.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" I moaned. I had to step out of the nursery earlier for a stretch, and in a few minutes I would return to my nest.

"We're leaving, you know," Applefrost said bluntly. "Both of us."

"What?!" Both of them? Gone? It was hard to process this. What drove both of them to go so suddenly?

"We don't want to have to deal with our names anymore," Shyheart added. "I'm not shy! I'm anything but!"

"I don't know about you, but I'm nothing like Appledusk. And I'm not that cold!"

"I can't take being called something I'm not any longer. Please, Willownose, just call me Dustheart."

I acknowledged my sister's new name choice; at least that accounted for her light brown fur. Made more sense than whatever Reedshine was thinking of when she named her.

"Besides," Applefrost continued, "you have your own family now. You don't need us anymore. We'll be fine."

Well, it was hard to argue with that kind of logic. I had four kits and a mate, and that alone was pretty much all I needed. Although I would miss them, they would be fine without me. Even then, Applefrost often got flack for being named after Appledusk, and both of them hated our parents in general. It was completely understandable, in my eyes.

"I get it. Neither of you want to live in our parents' shadow," I told them. "If I was forced to act like a cat I was completely different to, I'd be pissed off as well."

Applefrost let out a sigh of relief, while Shyheart twitched her tail tip. 

"I'm glad you can understand our decision," Applefrost said. "Just don't tell anyone we left. If they ask you any questions, just say we got killed by uh... uh... a badger nearby. Sure, that works. Tell them that."

The ginger cat began to exit the camp, and Shyheart followed them - she looked back for a second before moving on.

There I was, watching in awe as my two littermates left in defiance, breaking the mold which they were expected to form in. Not even Clan life could bend their will; they had every right to live their lives as they wished, and they chose one of no limits, one where they could finally try to seek refuge of ridicule, of shame for who they were. At last, they were able to stand as their own individuals, not being meant to conform to a single mindset, to what everyone else thought they would be.

In the end, it was their happiness that mattered, and I was fine with that. Their happiness meant more than serving a Clan they loathed so much, and that was what mattered most.


End file.
